Mooring gear for flying boats



Aug. 24, 1948. H. KNOWLER MOORING GEAR FOR FLYING BOATS 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Nov. 1, 1945 Aug. 24, 1948. H. KNOWLER 2,447,945

MooRING GEAR FOR FLYING sous Filed Nov. 1, 1945 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Au 24, 1948. Hi KNOWLER 2,447,945

MOORING GEAR FOR FLYING BOATS Filed Nov. 1, 1945 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented Aug. 24, 1948 B JLXINGi-BOATS I flem-y Knowier; isie-or-wishtx ns n i sisn toSaunders Roe Limite Wight; England mmnpemn N vembe 1 1945; swarm. 626.097 \IILGIGMZ Br .Ma l, 5,v 1944i Th-e' object of this invention is to facilitate pickingup and releasii g a mocring fromeflying boat. The; existing method is for the-flying boat to taxi up to a, buoy, which is moored in open water,

a member of the crew securing a line to the buoy from the flying boat.

f It is diflic'ult to carry out this operation) from small flying boats; in which there is epilot'only and no crew and with the advent o1: iaigenflying boats which, necessazilyuha ve much more freeard; the h i ht r mithe fl in -teeth moo in platform to the wet-e17 is-cn the inci ease. "This ma es it more i mtitq v s re at e ft will be secured withreasqnehle safety,

The invention p ovidesjin a: flying boat, the inat with he ooring: ee s fitte to he 111 11 t or near the bow an ti er insi o a e. by movem nt fthe; boat alon -t e. iwa ex e m r: mei ab e tend ng, em s h watero t'or near he u ace he eo o t etchh r nicentin i seeeaee entt the. cable romfih hook. nd man ally: ope b ele se eeenfor re eesirisithe atch. ndflisnlaq insthe h ok n relay to; t e hu l se tq e mitofizsdisense emen 0.1; heh hlie rom. thefihqo by. o .,ward pr. aft mqvementfi the boatinnv lela icn'itq t e cabl "By the useoi s chianmqo ms e thepnere:

iQ p i1s rinsthefl ms boat to. th mo ni able i ren ered mple seeea y d. te mini and lltdeneero herpe sq ne the'flyine boati eiimi'natejd. After engagement withthe cable, the latter can be empioyecl to tow the flying boat into a hclock; I i V Preferablyfthe hooki's retractible into the hull oi the flying" boat so as: to reduce drag during vflight.

One-form ofmooring gear for a flying boet according to theinventign; will now be'descifibed in detail byway of example, with reference to, the accompanying drawings; in which; f

t is a verticaP section through aw portion-of the keel of the boat, showing themooring gear in elevation and in-= the oii'erative position,

- Figm-Zds a section-on thehne -II AI in -Fig.1,

' Figs- 3':to-Geresviwhsimilar to- Fi'gn l showing successive positions takemup by the mocrihg geer cm movement of the eontmlxshait tm release the cable to retnact thezgeav-into the hifll.

. '32: U :1 1 Likereference characters designatedikejpasts throughout the figures.

--An opening Ml isprovidect im-"the keel 'I Fofithe flying boatmeer the-bow'mndabove: this cpening, inside the hul-i, is ecasting i2 which-isfixe'd to the upper surface of the keel fl-by any convenient means not showm- In the casting [M's fitted a'transversely extending pivot pin l 3' Y for a forward-1y facing mooring hook 1 i4. As shown in Fig. "2 there tsa-= slight clearance-between thehook I4 -and cast/mgr which allows the hook to slide sideways to a. lght extent to enable sideloads to? be taken directly on the casting II.

' "The position the-hook is "determinewby a link l'ipivotedat one end It to thehook l'dtandet theother endon atpin I! fitted to the lower end of a lever I 8 fixed to a shaft-+9. This sha ftis rotatable byremote control from; the cockpit through the agency-ofanyconvenient mechanism suchas anelectgic or hydraulic control gear one system of cables and" pulleys. Such a. conventional means within the-boat is shown diagrammatically in if, I'M being ,a. cable for imparting rotary Inovemeht to a puiiey lfl lg-fixed to shaft l 9 when Pulle 1011s turnedzby cr n ihandle 03. In t e opera ive x ended, nositi'qnjofi the vImok. 14 sh w infigi Lasuriace 20,015 1m}: litiiaibuts against-th su face l-Lof, lever. L8,, amilinki. Iii-ands levlen w! 8 constitutes.- r igidhsupport for; the hook- "The suriwies;.Zllla i 21 are shown in his. 3.

Pivotedvat 22; to the hook 44 la e catch- 23., The catch normally held in o the-locking. position shown in? Fig. r L le a,w spring fixed to a p1ate 25 cargy ing enmslfi 21, which ,ane respective-1y pieotexi to; the-hook: 14 wtit-2a Ta a-2e.- link 30.15

h yoted chill-to the catch 23 end is formedwith a, slotjrl engaging .thepin H on the lever t8;1

Y hook-serves to-engege at mooning; cable? 3.3 stnetchedf beneath: the surface of the watches the-timing; :boat. taxis forward t-alongthe: water. Theioahleelisthen "movesin relation to: the; flying boat; inrthe; direction; indicated" by' the snow; in Fig. Land zise-abl'ea-to pushfithescatchfiit aside against. the action/ ot the springi ztand so engage the hook H as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1, the catch-23 then being I returned by: sprhig 24 into position--to-prevent disengagement-ofthe cable 1mm the-ho'okt lhe $105 32 in the linki 30 permits the above-described pivotal movement of catch 23 to allow the cable 33 to enter the hook.

When it is desired to cast off the release shaft I9 is rotated clockwise. Initial clockwise movement of the shaft I9 brings the parts into position shown in Fig. 3. As there shown the pin I'I operates through the agency of the link 30 to rock the catch '23 anti-clockwise about its pivot 22 against the action of spring 24, thus removing the obstruction to disengagement of the cable 33 from the hook I4. At the same time link I serves to rotate the hook. IAanti-clockwise aboutits pivot pin I3. j; Z5 1."

If the flying boat is tending to drift in an aft direction in relation to the cable the latter will now,

be free to disengage from the hook.

Further clockwise rotation of the-release shaft I9 brings the parts into the position shown in,

Fig. 4. The hook I4 is now,suiii-ciently,retractedto free the cable and permit of rearward movement thereof in relation to the flying boat.

4 a rigid support for the hook when in its normal projected position, said abutments becoming separated on rotation of said lever.

3. In a flying boat, a combination as claimed in claim 1, comprising a recess in the hull into which the hook is retractable by said second link on continued rotation of the lever beyond the cable release positions and a plate carried by the hook and normally housed within the recess, said plate being positioned on the hook so that, on pivotal movement of the hook to retract it into the recessitwill form a closure for the lower end of said recess}: said plate 'opera'ting if- 'necssary, to force the cable rearwardly beneath the keel as it .moves to position to close said recess.

in the keel, .a mooring hook supported by the casing and movable in relation thereto between therefore the flying boat is tending'to drift fer-- wardly in relation to the cable, the latter"is"free"" to pass under the keel and rise to thesurface.

behind the aircraft. It will be noted that in this case the pull of, the cable in an aft direction assists the casting-off process. 1

Should the aircraft be entirely stationary. on the. water during the casting-off process, thearm 26 operates, .whentheparts, have arrived at the position shown in l ig. 5, to .eject the cable 33 and force it beneath the keel. I

- Finally, completion of the clockwise rotation of the shaft I 9. brings thepartsinto the position shown in Fig. 6 in which the mooring gear is fully retracted and the.:. late closes the aperture I0 in the keel.

Reverse rotation ofthe shaft I9 will return the parts to the position shown in Fig.v l in which the mooring hook I 4 is extended and held in-the operative position ready to receive the cable. a What I claim as my inventionand desire to e u bY' eib rs11? I l. In a flyingboat, the combination with a forwardly facing ,m ooring hook pivotally mounted on the boat for movement abouta transverse axis and normally projecting beneath the keel thereof, said hook serving -.to, engage a mooring cable stretched under the water, of a spring loaded catch fitted to the hook and adapted to bepushed aside by thecable td'allow the same to enter the hook andthereaft'er 'tobe returned byf'its spring to preventdisengagement of the cable from the hook, a pivoted operating lever, manually operable means for rotating said lever about itspivot to disengagesaid cable from the hook; a' first link coupling saidlever to said catch and'serving',

on initial rotation of said levergto displace said catch into position to allow the'cableto leave'the hook, said first'link being coupled to said lever by a connection arranged'to impart positive movement to said first link when said'lever is rotated, but permitting said first link to move inrelation to said lever when the catch is pushed aside by a cable entering the hookf-and a second link coupling said lever to hook and serving, on initial rotation of the levergto effect upward andrea'r'ward pivotal movement of thehook in relation to the keel into a position permitting the-cableito: be come disengaged-from the-hook both byforward and by aft movement-20f .the. boat in'relation to the cable... a I

2. In a flying boat,. a, c ombination asyclaimed in claim 1, wherein saidsecond linkandsaid level,

a projectedposition in which it may engage a submerged mooring cable, and a retracted position in whichit maycast off the cable by forward or aft movement of the boat in relation to the cableya manually operable member for moving are for ed w t ab ntsiwhich coact to provide J5 the hook at will to its projected or retracted position, a catch fitted to the-hook andp normally positionedto trap a cableengagedby the hook, said catch being free to move aside when con; tacted bya cable to permitthe cable to enter the hook, and means actuated by said .manuallyop erable member, on movementthereof to. move the hook from its projected position. to the retracted position, to displace said catch from trapping position into a position allowing anengaged cable toleavethehook. i 5.'In combination with the hull'fof, a flying boat, a mooring hook fitted to said hull near the boyfr end movable'in relation to said hull between a projected position in which .it may engage a submerged mooring cable andawithdrawn position in whichit, may'cast-O an engaged mooring cable, means operablefrom within theboat for moving said hook betweenisaid two positions, a catch mounted on the hook land biased so as normally to prevent disengagement of the cable from the hook, said catch being movablaiwh 'en contacted by'a submergedcable, into a position. permitting the cable to enter the hook and thereafter returning to normal position and meanscon' nectingthe catch and said moving'means for dis placing the catch, on operation of saidrnovlng' means to move thehook fro'mproj'ected to with-, drawn position, into a position permitting dis-'- engagement of the cable 'from thehook. I

6. Ina flying boat, the combin ation with a for: wardly facing mooring hook pivotally mounted on the boat, means for 'normallyreta'ining the hook' ina projected position in which it projects below the keel of the boat to engage a submerged mooring cable, means operable from withinthe boat for'moving the hook rearwardly and. upwardly about its pivot into positions allowing an engaged cable to leave the hook bothby forward andbyaftimovement of the boat in relation to the cable, a spring loaded. catch mounted onthe hook and adapted to be moved aside by an enter ing cable and thereafter to return to position to trap the cable in the hook andmeans operating, on operation of .saidmoving means to move the hook'fromprojected position todisplace the catch from trapping position to allow the cable to leave :the hook on, continued rearward an upward. pivotal-jmovementv thereof. a 1 -37. In a flying: boat; :the combination with a forwardly f acing. mooring hookrpivotally. mount- 5 ed on the boat, means for normally retaining the hook in a projected position in which it projects below the keel of the boat to engage a submerged mooring cable, means operable from within the boat for moving the hook rearwardly and upwardly about its pivot to retract it into a recess in the boat, a spring loaded catch mounted on the hook and adapted to be moved aside by an entering cable and thereafter to return to position to trap the cable in the hook, and means operating, on operation of said moving means to retract the hook to displace the catch from trapping position to allow the cable to leave the hook on continued rearward and upward pivotal movement thereof.

HENRY KNOWLER. REFERENCES one!) The following references are of record in th 'flle of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 1 Number Name Date 1,811,321 Kiwull 1-1.. June 23, 1931 2,278,312 J urschlck Mar. 17, 1942 

